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TWENTY-NINE

At the edge of the clearing, Leo stopped. In the exact spot where he'd normally place the Felix 5000 stood the prey every shifter dreamed of, but few found.

His fated mate.

Only she wasn't standing still, she was dancing. Just as irresistibly as she had at the masquerade ball.

How she was here, how she'd found him, he did not know...he was supposed to be the hunter, on his private lands that were spelled to keep out intruders.

Then she turned around, and he knew.

Lily.

She'd been his mate all along.

He roared in triumph.

Lily stilled. She turned, and met his heated gaze.

He expected her to run. After all, wasn't that what any normal human would do, faced with a beast of his size and ferocity?

But Lily was no ordinary human. She was his mate, the one human he was allowed to reveal his secrets to.

Leo padded forward.

Lily held out her hand, like she might to a housecat, so that he could sniff it.

Her scent was unmistakeable. He scented her, then licked her hand. He wanted to taste all of her, but not in this form. No, to do what he wanted, he needed to shift back into a man.